Washington, D.C.- Today, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) voted for the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010, S. 1508, which passed the House with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 414 to 0. This bill is a fundamental component of the Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform, a comprehensive strategy to reduce the deficit, balance the budget and set a foundation for responsible long-term fiscal policies. Already approved by the Senate, the legislation will now be sent to the President to sign it into law.
The Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act will save an estimated $98 billion in taxpayer dollars that has been previously wasted on overpayments or careless accounting mistakes on the part of federal agencies. The bill improves transparency, recovers overpayments, prevents payment error, and holds agencies accountable for waste.
“At a time when many American families struggle with their own budgets, they should be able to rest assured that the federal government is working to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently,” said Rep. Shuler. “This bill and other common-sense legislation will finally change the way Washington operates to bring fiscal responsibility and bipartisan cooperation back to the federal government.”
The administration has expressed support for the bill and is expected to sign it into law shortly. President Obama has said, “This bipartisan legislation will help save taxpayer dollars by reining in … the kind of unacceptable accounting mistakes that cost taxpayers $98 billion in 2009.” The Office of Management and Budget announced a new website, www.PaymentAccuracy.gov, to give taxpayers a vehicle to report suspected occurrences of fraud, waste, and abuse. The site also increases transparency by allowing viewers to see the rates and amounts of improper payments for each agency.
In another effort to rein in spending and reduce the national deficit, Rep. Shuler, along with 57 other Members of Congress, including many fellow Blue Dogs, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer regarding emergency spending and the need to use the designation appropriately. In the letter, they say, “We recognize and understand the need for the emergency designation as narrowly defined in the statutory PAYGO law recently passed by the House and signed into law by President Obama. However, we have made a commitment to pay for our priorities. It is critical that we uphold our efforts to restore fiscal discipline to the federal government by not using this tool for anything other than it is intended – a true, unforeseen emergency.” (Click to read the letter)
Rep. Shuler echoed the tone of the letter, “With very few exceptions, if something is important enough to vote on, it is important enough to pay for. We have put bipartisan, common-sense budget rules in place to control our spending. Those rules will only achieve results if we abide by them.”
###